AMI Disagrees With Denial of Request for Preliminary Injunction in Country-Of-Origin Labeling Lawsuit; Will Appeal Ruling
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Washington, D.C. – The American Meat Institute (AMI) is disappointed by and disagrees with a U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia’s denial of a motion for a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit to block implementation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s May 2013 final rule on country-of-origin labeling, but will seek an expedited appeal of the ruling.
“We disagree strongly with the court’s decision and believe that several aspects of the ruling are susceptible to challenge,” said AMI President and CEO J. Patrick Boyle. “We intend to pursue them on appeal.”
Joining AMI in the lawsuit, filed July 8, are the American Association of Meat Processors, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canadian Pork Council, Confedaracion Nacional de Organizaciones Ganaderas, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, North American Meat Association and the Southwest Meat Association.
In their complaint, AMI and
the meat and livestock
organizations explained that the final rule
violates the United States
Constitution by compelling speech in the form
of costly and detailed labels on
meat products that do not directly advance a
government interest. They
also explained that the 2013 regulation exceeds
the scope of the statutory
mandate, because the statute does not permit
the kind of detailed and onerous
labeling requirements the final rule puts in
place, and that the rule is arbitrary
and capricious, because it imposes vast burdens
on the industry with little to
no countervailing
benefit.
-30-
share on facebook
share on twitter